Principal's Message

The Power of Courage

This month, our school community has been exploring what it truly means to show courage—both inside and outside the classroom!

We kicked things off by celebrating Pink Shirt Day, a vibrant reminder of our commitment to kindness. Our students proudly wore pink to take a powerful stance against bullying. More than just a coloruful sea of shirts, this day was about encouraging everyone to be upstanders rather than bystanders. It takes real bravery to speak up for others, and we are incredibly proud of the empathy our students displayed.

That same courageous spirit was on full display during the Year 7 and 8 trip to Camp Kaitoke. Dropping into the wilderness, our seniors pushed well past their comfort zones. Whether they were conquering the daunting high ropes course, working together to build rafts, or facing the dark on night walks, they showed incredible grit. They proved that courage isn't the absence of fear, but the teamwork and determination to move forward anyway.

Back at school, courage takes a quieter but equally vital form: the willingness to tackle challenging new concepts. True learning requires stepping into the unknown and risking making mistakes.

• Supporting Growth at Home: You can nurture this resilient mindset at home by praising your child’s effort and persistence rather than just the final grade. Encourage them to view mistakes as essential milestones in the learning journey. Tonight, try asking them: "What was something tough you tried today?"

Arriving late at school:

We are noticing that there is an increase number of students attending school late. Classrooms are open at 8:30am to allow students to organise themselves for learning. Please encourage your child to be at school before 9am as this will minimise the disruption of class learning.

Upcoming Teacher Only Day Friday 29 May and Kings Birthday Monday 1 June

Please note that we have an upcoming Teacher only day on Friday 29 May! School will be closed - please make alternative arrangements for that day! We also have Kings Birthday Public Holiday on Monday 1 June school will be closed that day too! 

Ngā mihi nui,

Nikolai Solia

Principal

SPORTS 

Southern Zone Cross Country

We still require volunteers to help with marshalling at the event. All schools are expected to provide helpers. Our runners won't be able to attend on Tuesday if we don't have the required volunteers. Please email Sarah on sarah.fountain@sfds.school.nz if you are able to help.

Please read the information on the Hero posts (11 May and 18 May) if you haven't done so already.

Garden to table

We made delicious cheesy herb puffs using silver beet and parsley freshly picked from our garden!

Our composting journey is going really well — we now have a new organic waste bin in the staffroom, which will soon be introduced into classrooms too.The garden was also watered with nutrient-rich worm tea from our thriving worm farm.

The kids absolutely loved the cheesy puffs, and it was another fantastic session of learning, growing, and enjoying food together!

Garden to table continued'

 Working Bee thanks!

A huge thank you to Ann, her husband, daughter, and grandson,  as well as Vic’s husband and kids, and Annette, for giving up their time to help out over the weekend.

They achieved so much together — securing wire underneath the compost bin to help keep rats out, tackling plenty of teamwork and problem-solving along the way! We also relocated Annette’s worms to a much better spot and discovered lots of beautiful compost ready to spread around the garden with the kids on Tuesday.

Thank you all for your hard work, enthusiasm, and team effort. It’s so appreciated and makes such a difference to our garden space and kura community. There will definitely be another working bee in the future!

Dates to Add to Your Diary

Our  SFDS Events Calendar is the best way to stay up to date with everything happening at school — including PE days, special events, and other important dates. You can find the calendar by clicking on the link above or either on our school website or through Hero.